Connecting Jewish Grandparents

Parashat Vaera shows us something striking. The Egyptians and the Israelites live in the same place, yet experience completely different realities. Plagues fall on one while the other remains untouched. In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, we explore how this Torah insight speaks to modern life. From social media comparisons to conversations with friends whose children or grandchildr...

Parashat Shemot opens the story of Exodus with a quiet truth. The Israelites did not recognize their enslavement all at once. It unfolded gradually, through comfort, fear, and loss of choice. In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, we explore how Shemot helps us notice where we may feel stuck or disconnected in our own lives. Not only as grandparents, but as people living in a fast, dis...

What happens when the family we imagined is not the family we received? In this episode, we turn to Parashat Vayechi and Yaakov’s final blessings to explore one of the most tender challenges of parenthood and grandparenthood. Learning how to bless the children and grandchildren we actually have, not the ones we once dreamed of. Yaakov does not offer equal or idealized blessings. He sees his childr...

Moving closer to your grandchildren is often framed as the ultimate act of love. But what happens when that gift slowly becomes a loss of freedom, identity, or voice? In this episode on Parashat Vayigash, we examine Yaakov’s descent to Egypt as both a reunion and the beginning of bondage. What starts as safety, abundance, and family closeness quietly turns into dependency and constraint. It is a s...

This week’s podcast is a special Hanukkah episode for grandparents who are holding both joy and grief at the same time. Hanukkah is not a holiday of easy happiness. It is a holiday of fragile light, lit precisely when the world feels uncertain. In this episode, we explore what grandparents uniquely offer during moments like these: emotional safety, ritual, continuity, and love. We talk about how s...

Discover the deeper meaning of Yosef’s dreams and Yaakov’s powerful choice to “guard the matter.” This Vayeshev episode explores how grandparents can protect and nurture the dreams that shape a family’s identity. Learn how to hold hope through uncertainty, how to model resilience for your grandchildren, and how to turn your inner dreams into a living legacy they will carry forward. If you want to...

This week’s episode (19) explores Parashat Vayishlach and the extraordinary reconciliation between Jacob and Esau (Yaakov and Eisav). Their reunion offers a powerful method for healing conflict in our own families today. We break down the three-step process hidden in the parasha: creating emotional safety, seeking help and reframing internally, and offering a meaningful gesture that honors the oth...

Grandparenting from a distance is not just a logistical challenge. It is an emotional and spiritual one too. In this episode on Parshat Vayetzei, I explore what Jacob’s lonely journey teaches us about long-distance grandparenting. How do we stay present when we cannot show up physically? Inside this episode you will hear: • A Torah perspective on distance and legacy • The emotional reality of bein...

In this week’s episode, we explore Parashat Toldot through the lens of Family of Origin how the emotional patterns, communication styles, and unspoken rules we grew up with still shape the way we grandparent today. Using the stories of Yitzchak, Rivkah, Yaakov, and Eisav, we look at how inherited family dynamics influence relationships with our adult children, our children in law, and our grandchi...

In Parashat Chayei Sarah, we say goodbye to Avraham and Sarah, our first Jewish grandparents. But at the time of their passing, their influence on Yitzchak is unclear, leaving us to wonder: How do we know if our legacy is lasting? This episode explores the challenge every grandparent faces — not always knowing how our children absorb our love and values, yet still having the chance to shape future...

Parashat Vayera begins with Avraham running to welcome three mysterious guests. He prepares food, creates comfort, sets a table, gives his whole heart. And the angels barely speak in return. This week I share the story of Ana, a grandmother I am coaching. Her son asked on Friday if his family could come for Shabbat. She ran through her house to get everything ready. The cooking, the beds, the toys...

In this week’s episode of The Grand Plan Podcast, Sharona explores how a single name can hold generations of meaning. When Avram becomes Avraham, his new name carries a mission, to become a father of many nations. What can this ancient transformation teach us about identity, legacy, and the names we choose and are given, especially as grandparents? Through personal stories, including Sharona’s own...

What do we choose to carry through life’s storms? In this episode of The Grand Plan, Sharona reflects on Parashat Noach and the role of grandparents in preserving family stories, traditions, and values for the next generation. Discover how the story of Noach teaches resilience, gratitude, and intentional legacy, and learn simple ways to create your own “ark” of love, memory, and connection for you...

In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona explores how the festival of Sukkot teaches us to embrace both struggle and success as essential parts of Jewish legacy. Our greatest family stories aren’t just about comfort or achievement, they’re about overcoming challenges, finding meaning, and passing those lessons on to the next generation. ✨ What struggles in your life have become...

This episode is not just for Grandparents. EVERYONE will benefit from this perspective shift, as we finish Rosh Hashana and face the New Year. Many of us think of teshuva (repentance) as heavy, guilt-filled, or narrowly about fixing our wrongs. But Rav Kook, in his masterwork Orot HaTeshuva (Lights of Repentance), offers a radically different vision: teshuva is the pulse of life itself, a return t...

What does the sound of the shofar awaken in you? In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona explores the deep meaning of the shofar on Rosh Hashana, the Kingship of the Almighty, the awakening of the soul, and the personal call to step into your role and potential as a grandparent. Through stories and reflection, you’ll discover: ✨ How crowning G-d as King parallels embracing your...

As we prepare for Rosh Hashana, Judaism invites us to pause and reflect through a practice called Cheshbon HaNefesh (חֶשְׁבּוֹן הַנֶּפֶשׁ), literally “soul-accounting.” In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona explores how grandparents and parents can use this timeless practice of spiritual reflection and self-inventory to shape their legacy with intention. Together, we’ll ask: ...

How much influence do grandparents really have in their grandchildren’s lives? In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona shares her background in Social Work and explores Systems Theory and Bronfenbrenner’s Spheres of Influence to reveal how grandparents impact not just the home, but the entire ecosystem surrounding their family. From the microsystem of family rituals and weekly c...

What does it take to turn love, wisdom, and tradition into a lasting legacy? In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona discusses the importance of Grand Plan, forming an intentional legacy that your grandchildren will carry forward for generations. Drawing on over 20 years in Jewish education, Sharona shares why having a plan matters, what steps to include, and how grandparents ca...

What does legacy really mean and how do you shape yours? In this episode, Jewish educator and Grand Plan founder Sharona explores the meaning of legacy beyond money and possessions. From Jewish values and traditions to family stories, life lessons, and meaningful rituals, discover how to create a legacy that will inspire generations. Sharona shares practical tips for identifying your core values,...

How do you make intergenerational connections that actually stick? In this episode of Grand Plan, we explore the secret glue behind lasting relationships between Jewish grandparents and their grandchildren is consistency and content. We explored consistency in episode 4. Today we explore the need for content! Whether you're a grandparent or part of the middle generation, you'll learn: The three ty...

After more than 20 years as a groundbreaking leader in Jewish education, Sharona reveals what truly moves the needle for Jewish continuity and it’s not another classroom program. It’s grandparents! In this energizing episode, Sharona shares the story behind her most impactful educational model, one that brought together kids, parents, and grandparents around Jewish holidays in a way that stuck. Sh...

What does it mean to show up for your grandchildren even when you're far away? In this heartfelt episode of The Grand Plan Podcast, Sharona shares her personal journey of cross-generational connection, honoring her paternal grandparents’ legacy of love, ritual, and unwavering presence. Through moving stories of Sunday phone calls, long-distance travel, and imperfect but meaningful efforts, Sharona...

The “B” word... boundaries. They can feel awkward, confusing, or even painful especially for grandparents who just want to be helpful and involved. But when done well, boundaries build trust, not walls. In this episode of The Grand Plan Podcast, we dive into 4 practical and compassionate steps grandparents can take to establish and respect boundaries without tension, guilt, or second-guessing. You...

Welcome to the first episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, your guide to intentional Jewish grandparenting and building deep connections with your grandchildren! In this introductory episode we explore how grandparents are the solution to so many of our problems. Learn how grandparents can strengthen family bonds, pass down traditions, and create meaningful legacies for the next generation. S...